


Room to Grow

by RoseyStarlight



Series: Camp Camp Drama Drama [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Chaptered, Character Development, Developing Relationship, Emotional Baggage, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Plot Twists, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 09:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12362868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseyStarlight/pseuds/RoseyStarlight
Summary: After Parent's Day, Gwen, David, and the campers have to deal with the mess (understatement) of what's happened. A dark path is opening with every choice they make. Danger is always at Campbell, but will they choose to stay? Will they make it through? Is there room to grow?-This basically is just what happened after Parents day and...beyond. More in the notes! (at the end) and hope you enjoy :> !





	Room to Grow

The night is quiet, but alive. The hoot of owls, sounds of insects, and nocturnal animals are sprinkled throughout the woods surrounding Lake Lilac. There is one solitary road that stretches throughout the wood with a car on its expanse. Inside the speeding car, is Max. _It’s a nice night for a car ride_ , he thinks sleepily. He lets out a small yawn and takes a moment to remember all that has happened tonight. Before he knows it he finds his eyelids are getting heavy- he catches himself from the welcoming arms of sleep, shakes his head, and sits up. _Really shouldn’t have taken that nap earlier_ , he tries to reason, but how could he have helped himself? It’s been a very long time since he’s been able to have good pizza and… good memories. He smirks and fidgets with something in his hand.

_He hugged him. Tightly. Spur of the moment thing, really._

_Then suddenly something is falling from David’s pocket and Max… he actually grabs it!_

_Its David’s phone._

_‘Do you want it back?’ Max asks_

_David nods and reaches his hand then stops-_

_‘Actually’ he says, ‘you can play with it on the ride home…if you want’_

_Max snorts and raises an eyebrow at him._

_‘Just please don’t mess with my tinder account again, please’_

Max smiled at the seemingly random memory. He’s been finding in these last couple of weeks that he’s been smiling more and more. He lays his head against the cool glass and lets his eyes drift into the night, _usually there was only one thing that...made me smile…_ He looks up to see that the stars are out. As always. With the only light being from the headlights of the car he can see the little dots of stars in the sky.  He presses his face to the window and spots the big dipper (knowledge gained from astronomy camp). He’s not one for space- _at least not as much as space kid had a hard on for it_ , Max chuckles, _stupid ass space kid_. _Stupid ass gang_ , _back_ _the camp probably wrecking it to pieces-_

  
_Or…gone_

  
Max rubs his face and snuggles up against the door. He stares back up at the night sky, a little more tired.  People say that no one can count the stars, but he likes to try. Not because he likes space, but because it’s relaxing and every star he counts is probably completely different than the last time he counted. Kinda like people. You see a person once, and you might never see them again. Like passing strangers by in a park or…staying at a summer camp.

_His eyes flick from one star to the next,_

 

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7._

The difference is every day the stars are there. He blows his breath on the window and connects the seven dots forming the big dipper with his finger. The stars don’t ignore you for months on end, they don’t try to make you care, and they don’t laugh at you for being stupid. They come back, every night, and they stay at the same spot no matter how fast the car moves. And sometimes when he’s feeling very sad, he makes random ‘connect the dot’ games to make pictures. He chuckles darkly, It’s so ironic how thoughtless explosions a million miles away would be the thing he could always go to. Ever since he was a little, he’d remember the tiny stars in the sky. Tiny like him.

_But they do go away,_ his brain supplies, _during the day, there_ are _no stars…_

_He looks away from the window; he stares at the seat in front of him,_

_Nikki and Neil; David and Gwen? They’ve done more for you than any star ever could…_

The fog that formed from his light breath melts away, and Max gives the sky a soft looks before his eyes switch to something else. He’s had enough of stars and stupid thoughts. Thinking is nice until it passes a certain line. _Philosophy is for dip shits,_ he thinks and nervously chuckles.  He blinks sleepily, shifts in his seat, and looks around. He’s in ‘Gwen’s car though technically it’s the camp’s car (Though it’s _Gwen’s_ car because it smells nice). He takes a deep breath and inhales the smell of perfume and pizza, which relatively is kinda gross, but it’s comforting because it’s Gwen. The seats are clean and are tan leather, the floor scattered with different wrappers, a purse, a payday, and some job applications. He eyes the payday. Right now he’s lying on those seats, with a seat belt on (with some napkins stuffed against the seat-belt-clicker-thing to keep it from digging into his side). In the front seats are: Gwen, of course, focused on driving and humming something. David is smiling and humming the same song, both a little slowly; like that time Gwen did it around the camp fire. Max can’t really look at Gwen where he’s seated as he’s directly behind her and against the window. However he looks closer to David and….his hand…was it holding Gwen’s? Max’s eyes widen and he sits up and also sees David’s hand _near_ Gwen’s. Also David kept glancing at Gwen with _that_ look on his face, and Max looked at them both and then back at the stars. Looking back at David and Gwen he…started to feel weird. A feeling he hasn’t felt in a very long time. It was nice, but he couldn’t put a word for it. Peace? Safety? Hope? Max scratched his head and mid scratch he froze. _What the hell am I doing?_ He made a disgusted noise at himself, _Jesus I sound like David!_ Max shakes his head and notices David’s attention move to something else. He was holding a napkin with the other hand. Then he brought the other hand to his lap (the one that was so suspiciously near Gwen’s). Out of Max’s view, Gwen’s eyes flicked to David a couple of times as well, and a soft look on her face. As Max watches he sees it slowly turn into… a flower? David is giving the flower-napkin a soft look as well. Max sits up in his seat and takes some of the napkins from where they’re stuffed against the seat-belt-clicker-thing. He tries to emulate what David’s trying to do. Anything to take his mind off…his mind…and whatever is happening right now.

Meanwhile- David is worried.

_Will_ Mr. Campbell be able to handle the situation? Probably not, though his main fear is coming home to a vacant camp. His mind is a mess-

_What if we go to jail? I don’t want to go to jail!_

_GwenGwenGwenGwen_

_Guitar. In. Pants. Ready. To. Play?_

_Are we low on gas? Is Gwen tired? Did Max have enough to eat? Is someone hurt? Do we have first-aid? Second-aid? T H i R d  A i D?_

_Did I leave the stove on?_

_What if we go home and Max has to see he’s been abandoned again?_

  
David sets the flower-shaped napkin down on his lap and wrings his hands with worry. He turns to look at Max, whom is fiddling with some napkins of his own in his lap. One of his eyes twitches. David senses a bit of distress, which honestly is probably his own, but he still asks, “You okay?”

  
Max startles and crumples the napkins into a ball, “Fine”

  
“Max…” David begins, though the look on Max’s face makes him change his mind from the incoming scold forming in his mouth. Gwen flicks her eyes to him and they make eye contact before she refocuses on the road again.

  
“You don’t have to talk…but…” David squirms in his seat.

  
Max rolls his eyes, “I get it,”

  
“Wh-” begins David

  
“I was just thinking” Max says quickly interrupting David “We should _totally_ have a- uh- _origami_ camp”

  
“Huh?” David tilts his head before it hits him- the napkins! He blushes, _the napkins._ Suddenly the flower get a little heavier in his lap. He doesn’t pay attention to it and his face transforms back into his sunny and bright mood, “OH!”

  
“Wow Max! That’s such a good idea! Gwen, isn’t that such a good idea!?”

  
“Sure is” She snickers

  
“Ooooohhh and I was wondering about next week’s schedule and I haven’t even had time to plan considering all that happened today, but Max I am just so darn prou-“

  
Gwen kicks him with her non-driving foot, “Ow! I was getting to it!” he coughs into his fist, “Max.”

  
Max lets out a yawn and stretches while reaching his arm towards the payday…

  
“Don’t touch that candy Max its old!” Says Gwen looking at him from the driver’s seat, she also shoots David a wink, and he continues (with a darker blush)

  
“Ahem- You don’t have to tell me anything,” Begins David, “but I can tell there is something el-“

  
Max groans, “I told you I’m fine” 

  
“Max” David scolds “you know what fine means, Fine internally but not Externally“

  
Max gives him a blank stare, “I’ve never heard that before in my life” 

  
David bumbles, “Max just tell me- Gwen can you- can you just-” He gives her a pleading look

  
Max picks up the Payday, “and this doesn’t expire until September-“

  
“OK” Gwen interrupts and they both quiet immediately. (“ _Of 2018”_ Max whispers to the side)

  
“Tonight’s been…very rough on all of us,” she admits

  
She continues with a more heroic tone, “But we’ve had pizza and taken a break and **we** ,”

  
“Are going to go back to there and deal with whatever the **fuck** ,”

  
“Language!”

  
“-whatever the heck Campbell or the campers or their parents or whatever shit has happened! Because we are a nuclear family ready to…nuke the hell out…of negativity”

  
David puts his head into his hands and sighs, and Max snorts with a rebel of a smile on his face. Or rather, his normal smile on his face. Gwen is smiling too, and when David takes his hands off his face he’s giggling.

  
Gwen then gets an idea and presses the power button for the radio, and turns it to the older 80’s station.   
“Alrighty then, Max,” She looks at him through her rear view mirror again then motions over to David, “Let’s have some fun!”

  
-

  
Back at the camp, everyone has huddled back into the mess hall. Mr. Campbell is on the way to Super Guantanamo; Gwen, Max, and David were in the process of leaving the pizza place. The parents are all angry and trying to figure out what to do. The only kids there are Dolph, Harrison, and Nerris. Dolph is awkwardly standing by his father, Harrison can’t be seen, and Nerris is holding her parents’ hands. She swings her father’s hand back and forth and he smiles down at her. No one has spoken until:

  
“What do we do now?” Nerris’ mom, “My daughter is not staying here any longer”

 

Nerris turns her head to her mother with concern on her face.

  
“But mom-” says Nerris, softly, she stops swinging her arm and her Dad frowns.

  
“But _nothing_ Nerris! I’m sorry, but this place is not fit for children.” Nerris lets go of her mother’s hand.

  
“Honey,” Nerris’ father interrupts, “maybe we should wait for the other counselors to come back…”

  
“I’m not waiting for no one” Adolph’s father standing up, “This type of behavior is reckless, even if those counselors are better than Campbell, they took that kid! Who knows what they’re doing with him!”

  
Dolph tries to speak in David and Gwen’s defense, “Papa David and Gwen would nev-“

  
“Enough Rudolph” Dolph immediately looks away,

  
“Speaking of those counselors” said Harrison’s father with his arm protectively around his wife, “Shouldn’t they be tried for something as well? Y’know child endangerment…or assisting with Campbell…”

  
“That is very true…” Said one of Ered’s dads,

  
“But do we have the evidence?” said one of Ered’s dads, in response.

  
As the voices of the parents grow louder with their anger the quiet and sadness of their kids was increasing as well. Their parents weren’t listening to them, understandably distressed with the situation. Dolph decided that enough was enough and went to find Harrison. He was sniffling quietly in the corner.  When he spotted Dolph looking for him he revealed himself from the invisibility spell he used. Harrison had accepted that his parents wanted nothing to do with him so he tried to stay away from them for their sake. He pulled a rabbit out of his hat to comfort himself as Dolph came over.

  
“Harris!”

Harrison turned to look at Dolph and quickly wiped away the tears on his face.

“We have to stop our parents before there is no camp for David, Gwen, and Max to come home to!” Dolph said, crossing his arms

  
“How do you” sniff, “Suppose on doing that _Dolt_? It’s over, camp’s over and-”

  
“Harris boy!” Dolph interrupts, “You don’t want your parents to take you away, do you?”

  
“Yeah! Well…no…I overheard them talking about sending me to a mental hospital after this…”

  
“Then that is a reason for you to fight!”

  
Harrison looks sadly at Dolph, “Your right, I guess I don’t have that much of a choice”

“But you do Harris!” Dolph shrugs, “You have us, at least?”

Harrison lets a small smile slip, “yeah…thank you…” 

“besides…” Dolph walks to him a gives him a hug, “maybe you might be able to get them to listen”

Harrison snorts and hugs back, “maybe…for once”

  
Dolph beams and pets Harrison’s bunny, “I have a plan, but we need to get everyone together for it to work, now say Rabbi to the little rabbit”

  
Harrison made the rabbit disappear and nodded in agreement. First they went to Nerris who was still holding her dads hand. They waved at her to come to them, and Dolph mouthed the word ‘plan’ so she’d understand. She nodded and turned to her dad, she tugged his hand. Her dad looked down to her and saw Harrison and Dolph waiting impatiently.

  
“Alright Nerris the Cute, go play…but we’re leaving soon.”

  
Nerris face flicked with fear before she faked a smile.

  
He noticed and kneeled down, “You want to stay?”

  
She shifted where she stood, “Yeah…I like the friends I made here”

Nerris’ dad raised an eyebrow, “and I can’t bribe you with bluebell this time?”

Nerris shook her head.

“Buuuuutter Pecaaaaaaaan” He does Jazz Hands

Nerris giggled and shakes her head again.

  
Her dad’s face grew worried, “Sweetie… I… I get it but- it’s just- this place-“

  
“It isn’t safe” Dolph chimed in, nodding.

  
Nerris and her dad turned their attention to the two boys, Dolph continued-

“At least not when Campbell was here but…now he’s gone”

Harrison pitched in “and David and Gwen are great counselors!”

Dolph continued, “They can work something out, they’ve always been able to work something out! Now this time, all you have to do is work with them!”  

  
“But they aren’t even here” Said Nerris’ dad considering their point.

  
“Daddy” she smiled, “They’re probably just dealing with Max…you remember… from the letters I sent… the one that was with them all day?”

Nerris’ dad blinked at him before it dawned on him, “ohhhh, that Max! The tiny dude, big hair?”

Nerris let out a giggle and put her head in her hands before responding, “Yes dad, that’s Max”

His eyes got wide, “Was he really the one that started the craps ring??”

“Yeah he was!” Say Harrison, “I know because I remember losing three nights in a row…”

Dolph rolls his eyes, “that is what you get for _gambling_ ”

  
“But it was your own fault,” Nerris says to Harrison, “You made the dice disappear so you could win”

“I was losing- it was the only thing I could do!”

Nerris pinched her nose, “you can’t even _play_ without the dice!”

“You try and hit snake eyes with everyone staring at you!”

“Harrison you _were_ hitting snake eyes!”

“Then why wasn’t I winning?”

“Because snake eyes is the lowest roll!”

“Well!!!!” He throws up his hands in defeat, “I guess I have bad luck!!!”

“You’re a magician how do you have bad luck?” Dolph asks calmly

Harrison flutters and blushes embarrassingly, “Well- I- Sometimes-uh- Sometimes-“

Nerris laughs and mocks him, “ _sometimes, sometimes, sometimes_ -“

“Shut UP Nerris! It was a sound strategy!!”

Nerris rolled her eyes, “Like you even know what the word strategy is”

“I do know what it is!”

“Nuh uh!”

“Uh huh!”

“Nuh _UH_!”

“Uh _HUH_ ”

Nerris’ dad chuckled at their antics, it reminded him of when he was a kid with his brothers.

 “Alright! Stop it you two!” They both quiet and Dolph eyes them both before turning to Nerris’ father,

 “So you can see what David was up against today, yes?”

“I could definitely see,” He looked at all three children and he knew what the right choice was.

Those counselors had kept the camp going for this long and he couldn’t bear to break her heart-

  
“Alright” he said, “Alright go with your friends, I’ll talk with your mom” he smiled.

  
She beamed at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, she squeezed hard, and he let out a laugh. He wanted Nerris to be safe, but he had a feeling this was the best choice.

  
“Be safe, have fun” he said setting her down.

  
“I will!!!! Love you!!!!” she said excitedly,

  
“Love you too”

  
Nerris then grabbed Harrison’s and Dolph’s hands and dashed to the entrance to the mess hall. Dolph turned back and mouthed ‘love you’ to his dad, who didn’t see. Harrison just glanced at his parents before looking away.

  
Nerris’ dad let out a sigh, he was half curious about what plan they were going to make and half concerned. Always concerned. He tugged on her mother’s sleeve and she turned to face him and softly asked, “Can we talk?”

  
Her smile was tired, “Why of course Elder Wizard”

  
He smiled. His wife took his hand and they walked away from the other parents.

They’d figure this out-

Together.

**Author's Note:**

> Oof! I had so much fun writing this! and my fingers are itching for the next chapters! I hope you liked it and please please comment if you do (or don't !), its very inspiring for me :'>
> 
> I had planned on posting this before the Halloween special but sadly i had *cough* bad weather and i had to delay, but i'll include the events of the episodes in the chapters as i continue! Also I was thinking of having bonus chapters accompany this as well in a separate fic in the series so please comment if you would be interested in reading those along with this! I have so many plans for this fic and this is just the beginning I hope you have a great day, thank you! 
> 
> (P.S my tumblr is skelesister if you would like to drop an ask or just want to talk :> )


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